A Preliminary Mapping of Measures Affecting the Cross-Border Flow of Non-Personal Data

Javier López González, Chiara Del Giovane and Janos Ferencz

No 295, OECD Trade Policy Papers from OECD Publishing

Abstract: The cross-border flow of non-personal data (NPD) is essential to the functioning of a globalised, increasingly interconnected, and automated economy. However, the past decade has witnessed a five-fold increase in measures affecting these flows, reflecting a complex regulatory landscape. This paper introduces a preliminary typology of such measures, classifying them into three categories: those that promote, mandate, or prohibit cross-border access and sharing of NPD. These measures pursue diverse objectives, including open data initiatives, regulatory compliance, sustainability, law enforcement, and data security. While safeguards can support trusted and secure cross-border flows of NPD, over half of the 124 identified measures are likely to hinder rather than facilitate trade. In response, trade agreements and international policy fora are beginning to address these challenges. This analysis provides a starting point for more targeted discussions on NPD and aims to “make the problem smaller” by narrowing debates to specific, actionable issues.

Keywords: Data flows; Digital economy; Digital trade; Digitalization; Trade policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F13 F14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-06-26
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oec:traaab:295-en

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in OECD Trade Policy Papers from OECD Publishing Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().